State Dreams

Feldman, Maycock Qualify In Multiple Events At Sectionals

June 2, 2013

YORKSHIRE - Who had the top showings amongst area athletes during day two of the Section 6 Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Pioneer Central School on Saturday?

For anyone who's followed local track this season, the answer should be clear.

Brittany Feldman qualified for an area-high three events while McKenna Maycock recorded the state standard in two more on Saturday as an additional 14 athletes from the Southern Tier clinched a chance to compete in next week's New York State Public High School Athletic Association Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Middletown.

Article Photos

Southwestern’s Brittany Feldman competes in the 400 meters at the Section 6 Track & Field Championships at Pioneer High School on Saturday. Feldman won the 400 and took second in the 200 meters and high jump to advance to next weekend’s state meet in all three events.Photos by Tim Frank

Frewsburg’s Mackenzie Swartzman competes in the 1,500 meters Saturday at Pioneer High School.Photos by Tim Frank

Falconer’s Mackenzie Wright competes in the triple jump Saturday at Pioneer High School.

Southwestern’s Jordan Powers competes in the 400-meter hurdles Saturday at Pioneer High School.

With sectional competition all wrapped up, a grand total of 19 area athletes have qualified to take part in the state meet.

Also qualifying for states, along with Feldman and Maycock, were Maple Grove's Christina Walter, the defending state champion in the 100- and 200-meter dashes; McKenzie Swartzman and Alex Elderkin of Frewsburg; Jordan Powers of Southwestern; Mitchell Moore of Jamestown (the lone Division 1 qualifier); John Panus of Olean; Shae Smith of Salamanca; and the Salamanca 400-meter relay squad of Evan Harrington, Sal Seitz, Anibal Santiago and Tanner John.

Feldman, a senior at Southwestern, raced to a first-place finish in the 400 meters with a time of 58.82, besting Holland's Julia Grupp by nearly a second. Next she delivered second-place finishes in both the 200 (26.58, just under the state-qualifying time of 26.64) and the high jump (5-3).

Maycock, meanwhile, took second in the 100 hurdles (15.83) and the 400 hurdles (1:02.70).

The Randolph sophomore was edged out in both events by winner Emily Irish-Ryan of Amherst.

Swartzman ran the 1,500 of her career on Saturday, winning the event and crossing the line in 4:52.79. The time was not only a personal best by a whopping five seconds, but also set a new Frewsburg record, breaking Alison Wilfong's previous mark of 5:06.

Joining Swartzman is fellow Bear Elderkin, who cleared 6 feet, 3 inches in the high jump. The leap, which was just two inches off the winning mark but well above the state-qualifying threshold of 6-0, tied Terry Strong's 1975 school record.

Walter will defend her 100-meter state title from a year ago after winning the event in a blistering 12.93.

Moore, the only large school qualifier from the area, continued his solid season with a victory in the 400 hurdles. Finishing in just 55.97, he was nearly three seconds faster than is next closest competitor.

Falconer's Mackenzie Wright, who qualified for the state meet on Friday in the long jump, won the triple jump on Saturday when she soared 36-7.

Rounding out the list was Powers, who won the 400 hurdles in 56.79, Smith, who took the pentathlon with 2,703 points, Panus, who captured the 3,000 steeplechase in 10:00.68, and the Warriors' 400 relay team, which bested runnerup Olean with a time of 44.32.